Rear defrost, and heated seats

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ritchard Findlay
  • Start date Start date
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Ritchard Findlay

Hello Volvo friends,

Forgive me for asking what are likely common questions, but I have searched
the various resources, and cannot find adequate answers.

I have an '89 740 GLE (nice) that I have had for a few weeks. As winter
comes rolling down the road, I have to fix a couple of things. As late as I
believe two weeks ago, my rear defrost worked. Now it doesn't. Yesterday
my Father-in Law and I got the multi meter out, found that we have
continuity through the system downstream of the switch, so the elements must
be okay. We pulled the switch out and fiddled with the relay, and I thought
made it work. Of course on a sunny Thanksgiving (Canada) Monday afternoon,
I couldn't test it, so waited for some fog this morning. I was disappointed
to find that it didn't work. Anybody got any ideas? Is there a
comprehensive troubleshooting sequence posted someplace?

I am also skeptical of the heated seats. I turn the switches on, nothing
happens. Then in further reading yesterday, I find that they are
thermostatically controlled - leather seats. My last two Volvos were
plainer. How should I expect them to work? Does thermostically controlled
mean that they will not turn on on a warm day, or that they will turn off
when they hit a certain temp? I pulled one seat apart, and forced the
heater to work by flipping the switch inside the relay. So the element, at
least on the passenger side is okay. I also took one bit of advice from
Swedishbricks and resoldered the guts of that relay. Still no heat without
forcing it. What gives? If it is a relay that is required, where do you
get them? I couldn't find one anyplace online, and am shy about paying
dealer prices for stuff like that.

Any help?

Thanks.

RF
 
Ritchard said:
Hello Volvo friends,

Forgive me for asking what are likely common questions, but I have searched
the various resources, and cannot find adequate answers.

I have an '89 740 GLE (nice) that I have had for a few weeks. As winter
comes rolling down the road, I have to fix a couple of things. As late as I
believe two weeks ago, my rear defrost worked. Now it doesn't. Yesterday
my Father-in Law and I got the multi meter out, found that we have
continuity through the system downstream of the switch, so the elements must
be okay. We pulled the switch out and fiddled with the relay, and I thought
made it work. Of course on a sunny Thanksgiving (Canada) Monday afternoon,
I couldn't test it, so waited for some fog this morning. I was disappointed
to find that it didn't work. Anybody got any ideas? Is there a
comprehensive troubleshooting sequence posted someplace?

I am also skeptical of the heated seats. I turn the switches on, nothing
happens. Then in further reading yesterday, I find that they are
thermostatically controlled - leather seats. My last two Volvos were
plainer. How should I expect them to work? Does thermostically controlled
mean that they will not turn on on a warm day, or that they will turn off
when they hit a certain temp? I pulled one seat apart, and forced the
heater to work by flipping the switch inside the relay. So the element, at
least on the passenger side is okay. I also took one bit of advice from
Swedishbricks and resoldered the guts of that relay. Still no heat without
forcing it. What gives? If it is a relay that is required, where do you
get them? I couldn't find one anyplace online, and am shy about paying
dealer prices for stuff like that.

Any help?

Thanks.

RF

--
Ritchard Findlay
Toronto, CANADA
[email protected]
(remove "nospam." to reply)

Your father has started the test procedure correctly. You just need to
do the testing when you can check that the defroster is working.
The seat heat time is determined by relay temperature. Toss the relays
into the freezer for an hour or so, and repeat the test. (Seat heaters
should be working at our recent morning temperatures. Mine are.)
 
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